Over 40 million women in the United States live under the poverty line making tampons and pads prohibitively expensive, especially for homeless women and young teens, since they cannot be bought with food stamps.
Every night, almost 300,000 women go to sleep without a roof over their head and without the resources to clean themselves. While you may never have seen a homeless woman with a cardboard sign asking for tampons, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t needed. In fact, tampons and pads are some of the least commonly donated items to shelters, meaning that most nights, shelters are turning women away without enabling them to take care of their hygienic needs.
It wasn’t a sign that caught Chelsea VonChaz’s eye, but the slow shuffling of a woman, ashamed by the stains on her clothes, around a corner to find a dark spot to crouch in. “It was then I realized that she had her period…. That image never left me.”
Committed to helping similar homeless women, Chelsea, a 27-year old L.A. native, founded #HappyPeriod, a non-profit dedicated to serving women’s health and hygiene needs by distributing free care packs (in the form of cheery, bright yellow bags) that contain everything from panty liners to wipes, tampons, and soap. These menstrual hygiene kits are given directly to women and trans-men on the streets, to ensure effective delivery and to minimize the barriers, discrimination, and stigma people face due to the taboo nature of periods in society.
Giving women the ability to control their hygiene empowers them to reclaim and establish their dignity. Menstrual hygiene kits allow women to take control of their womanhood and to choose how they want to deal with their periods. That choice is what is empowering, and for extending that choice to so many women who have such little agency left in life, Maxim Hygiene would like to honor Chelsea VonChaz as our February Fierce Woman of the month.
At Maxim Hygiene Products, we define a fierce woman is a “glorious female creature whose idea of beauty is hinged upon the idea that she can change the world with each choice, each moment and each breath of her life.” For inspiration, we sat down with Chelsea and came away with even more.
MH: Who in your life is a fierce woman and why?
Chelsea: The first person that popped up in my mind was actually, ME! And I think it’s okay for me to say I am the Fierce Woman in my life. I feel it’s because I am my own hero; I accepted that a long time ago. I was walking around, depressed years ago, looking for a hero and then realized… I have the power to be my own happiness and magic. To be fierce, for me, means to be fearless in creating your own reality.
MH: Are there any stories about women you’ve helped/ things they said to you that you want to share?
Chelsea: There are a few, I am now called the “Hygiene Lady” out on Skid Row, which I think is freakin cool. One woman ran out of the building and was panicking that she missed “the yellow bags” being handed out. So it felt good to know that she knew about it and was looking for us.
MH: How can girls and women who love what you’re doing, support you?
Chelsea: Anyone can support us by donating items, hosting a gathering to distribute kits with their girlfriends, collecting donations by doing a drive at their school or workplace, etc. For people who want to run a drive, we now have a #HappyPeriod campaign poster which can be used with a box to collect donations from the public” and to educate groups on the larger issues at hand.
MH: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in the process of founding #happyperiod?
Chelsea: Sooo many! I really am not able to narrow it down to 1. I mean I’m learning everyday, so many lessons happen through my experiences with the homeless and volunteers. This is very hard, the hardest thing I have ever done.
Bravo, Chelsea, for being the Fierce Woman in your life and in so many of ours. It is the little acts of heroism in every day reality that make all the difference. On behalf of the Maxim Hygiene team, we donated several cases of Maxim organic tampons and natural sanitary pads for distribution on Skid Row, Chelsea’s favorite distribution point and one of our Co-Founder’s most favorite #fiercewoman memories when she joined Chelsea for one of their gatherings about a year ago. As Rebecca, our Fearless Co-Founding leader told us, “It was not only a day of blissful community for the appreciative women we were serving but also the many volunteers that gathered to bring this great mission to life.”
If you too want to help, you can donate funds to #HappyPeriod via their crowdfunding page or use the following promo code at our our online store to get 10% off your next order and support a 10% donation paid by Maxim to Chelsea’s organization! Coupon Code: HAPPYPERIOD
As part of our #FierceWomenFunded campaign, for any and all purchases made during the month of February using this promo code, we’ll donate 10% of your purchase to #HappyPeriod.